Sephora makeup artist Alphie Sadsad shares the common mistakes women make with mascara

For defined, extra-long, voluminous lashes in a matter of seconds, mascara is the go-to beauty weapon for women everywhere.

Yet far too many women still make blunders when applying the product.

Now Australian celebrity makeup artist Alphie Sadsad has shared the 10 biggest mistakes made when applying mascara – and how to fix them.

‘There is no right or wrong way to apply mascara. I see a lot of women either do a continuous blink while the wand is stationed, or they wiggle the wand while their mouth is open,’ the national artistry lead of Sephora Australia told Femail.

‘What I like to do is press the wand close to the root of the lash and lightly wiggle to the tip. Apply and reapply between applications.

‘Chin up and look down in the mirror to apply your mascara. Sometimes lift your brows to stretch the lid, then apply.’

For defined, extra-long, voluminous lashes in a matter of seconds, mascara is the go-to beauty weapon for women everywhere (stock image)

How to apply mascara the ‘correct’ way

Alphie said the first step is to ensure you have the right mascara that will ‘deliver the definition, the length and the curl’.

1. Place the wand at the base of the lashes and gently wiggle upwards to distribute the product.

2. Repeat application along the lashes until they are all fully coated in mascara.

3. Layer your mascara until you achieve extra-large volume, and give your lashes this supersized effect.

1. Pumping the wand in the tube

Alphie said the most common mistake he sees women make is pumping the wand in and out of the tube – simply out of habit. By doing this, you are drying out the product faster.

‘Pumping your mascara wand actually pumps air into the tube and that would definitely shorten the life span of your mascara,’ he told FEMAIL.

If you’re trying to ensure the brush is evenly coated, he suggested gently twisting the wand out to get enough product on the wand.

2. Starting from the top lashes before the bottom

For most women, they automatically apply mascara to their top lashes before applying to the bottom – but Alphie said this is not ideal.

‘Firstly apply mascara on the bottom lashes first than follow with applying on the top lashes. This will prevent getting mascara dots smudges on your eye lids,’ he said.

Australian celebrity makeup artist Alphie Sadsad (pictured) has shared the 10 biggest mistakes when applying mascara – and how to fix them

Alphie’s top five tips to applying mascara

1. If you have your favourite mascara, however you find they smudge or flake, use a waterproof mascara as a top coat to prevent smudging

2. Tubing mascara is great for bottom lashes

3. Press your mascara onto your lash line to create the illusion of a tight line eyeliner

4. Bending your mascara wand will help make it easier to manoeuvre the wand around hard-to-reach-places like the inner and outer corner of your eyes

5. Instead of tossing the old wand away, clean the mascara off by soaking in makeup remover. Use the clean mascara wand for that clump-free look and combing it through the lashes from root to tip

3. Applying mascara to the tip only

Alphie said another error is women only applying mascara to the tips.

‘When I see my clients up close and see that they only applying mascara on the tips of the lash rather combing the mascara from the base to the tip,’ he said.

‘When applying mascara, place the brush close to the root of the lashes and brush up to the tip. (Make sure to feel the bristle on your lash line, that means you’re close to root of the lashes).’

4. Leaving a mascara dollop on the tip of wand

He said you should always wipe the tip of the mascara wand, especially when it’s new as it could leave lashes clumpy.

‘This will prevent creating a random beauty mark around your eyes,’ he said.

5. Curling eyelashes after applying mascara

If you like to give your lashes an extra lift, Alphie said you should curl them first.

‘Make sure to curl lashes first without any product and follow with mascara. This will prevent breakage and scraping mascara off the root of the lash,’ he said.

6. Removing smudged mascara incorrectly

Smudged mascara is a pain to deal with but Alphie suggested the best way to remove it is to allow the mascara to dry before spot cleaning.

‘Use a cotton swab and dab at the dry product to keep the rest of the eye makeup intact,’ he said.

Most women use mascara in daily makeup routine but they still make blunders (stock image)

Sephora has launched its new ‘Collection Size Up Mascara’ ($22) which promises maximum volume – at full blast and increase intensity and a resistant long-lasting wear

7. Not applying enough mascara

He said another mistake is not applying enough mascara to the lash to give impact.

‘Adding layers of mascara will frame and add definition to your eyes,’ he said.

8. Sharing mascara with other people

‘Sharing is not caring,’ Alphie warned.

‘Never share your mascara as your mascara wand is infected as soon as you use it. Bacteria thrives in the dark, moist environment of your mascara tube.’

9. Not discarding old mascara

Alphie said you should never keep mascara for more than four months as there could be germs in the tube, putting you at risk of eye infection.

‘Keeping mascara for more than four months will hold bacteria and be prone to infections,’ he explained.

‘As mascara tubes hold bacteria as soon as you open the tube. Plus the performance of the mascara won’t be as good as when you opened it.’

10. Wiping mascara smudges before it dries

He said the final mistake is wiping mascara smudges before it dries.

‘Make sure to let your mascara smudge dry first then flick off the dry mascara. If that doesn’t work, use a micellar water with a cotton tip and lightly rub off the mascara,’ he said.

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